The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) today announced up to $2.1 million funding for National ICT Australia (NICTA) to develop an online national renewable energy mapping platform.
ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the Australian Renewable Energy Mapping Infrastructure (AREMI) portal would be a valuable planning resource for the renewable energy industry.
“NICTA is developing a comprehensive mapping platform that will make renewable energy projects easier to get off the ground in Australia,” Mr Frischknecht said.
“Importantly, this will include a centrally accessible repository for ARENA project information and a portal for $15 million of ARENA-funded mapping projects.
“Renewable energy project developers will be able to freely access spatial information such as ground measurements and existing infrastructure to assist with site identification.
“State and local governments will be able to use this information to assist with environmental and regulatory planning approvals, as well as for tracking and promoting projects in their region.”
NICTA will work with the Clean Energy Council and Geoscience Australia, and consult with industry stakeholders, to determine what kind of data will be most useful.
Mr Frischknecht said the new AREMI portal will build on national mapping infrastructure with an open source three dimensional platform.
“The new portal will convert and display information in a web browser, allowing multiple data formats from different sources to be displayed side by side,” Mr Frischknecht said.
“For example, it could be used to compare mapping data from Google, elevation data from Geoscience Australia and solar resource data from the Bureau of Meteorology.
“This advanced functionality has the potential to further leverage ARENA’s suite of mapping and knowledge projects and give future renewable energy developments a head start on planning.”
The project is scheduled for completion in 2016. NICTA and the Clean Energy Council will be consulting with industry over the coming weeks and will provide regular updates.
About NICTA
NICTA (National ICT Australia Ltd) is Australia’s Information and Communications Technology Research Centre of Excellence. NICTA develops technologies that generate economic, social and environmental benefits for Australia. NICTA collaborates with industry on joint projects, creates new companies, and provides new talent to the ICT sector through a NICTA-enhanced PhD program. With five laboratories around Australia and more than 700 people, NICTA is the largest organisation in Australia dedicated to ICT research.
About Geoscience Australia
Geoscience Australia is a prescribed Australian Government entity within the Industry portfolio. It applies geoscience to Australia’s most important challenges by providing geoscience information, services and capability to the Australian Government, industry and stakeholders.
About Clean Energy Council
The Clean Energy Council is the peak body for Australia’s clean energy industry, working with more than 550 solar, wind, energy efficiency, energy storage, bioenergy, hydro, cogeneration, geothermal and marine energy businesses, along with more than 4500 solar installers. The organisation is committed to accelerating the transformation of Australia’s energy system to one that is smarter, cleaner and more consumer-focused.
ARENA media contact
Media release – One stop shop for renewables mapping data (PDF 243KB)
